Hydraulic locking system for threaded members on a gyrating type crusher



Oct. 15, 1968 M -n5 3,405,875

HYDRAULIC LOCIkING SYSTEM FOR THREADED MEMBERS ON A GYRATING TYPE CRUSHER Filed Oct. 12, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. "mam/v0 s. cum/5 HTTYJ.

Oct. 15, 1968 M. G. CURTIS 3,405,875

HYDRAULIC LOCKING SYSTEM FOR THREADED MEMBERS ON A GYRATING TYPE CRUSHER Filed Oct. 12, 1966 a Sheets-Sheet 2 F as f I I 22 a 23 i 19 z! INVENTOR. 32 NHELHND G. cuRT/s J I BY 74% RTTYJ.

Oct. 15, 1968 M. G. CURTIS LIC LOCKING SYSTEM FOR THREADED MEMBERS ON A GYRATING TYPE CRUSHER 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 HYDRAU Filed Oct. 12, 1966 TRNK 8 mm TR mu Vc ma M A: F m

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United States Patent Ofiice 3,405,875 Patented Oct. 15, 1968 3,405,875 HYDRAULIC LOCKING SYSTEM FOR THREADED MEMBERS ON A GYRATING TYPE CRUSHER Marland G. Curtis, Curtis Construction Company, Box 106, Spokane, Wash. 9210 Filed Oct. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 536,077 2 Claims. (Cl. 241-207) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved locking system for the threaded members that connect the bowl and supporting framework or adjustment ring of a gyrating type crusher. The locking system is hydraulically operated and the hydraulic cylinders are recessed beneath the'structural members of the crusher. A hydraulic locking system is provided for the threaded members, using stationary hydraulic cylinders which therefore do not rotate during bowl adjustment. A combined hydraulic and pneumatic pressure source is provided to permit utilization of conventionally available compressor equipment.

This invention relates to the field of gyrating type crushers and is concerned with an improved locking system for the threaded members which connect the bowl and the supporting framework or adjustment ring.

Various models of gyrating type crushers are provided with an adjustable bowl mounted on the crusher frame or on an adjustment ring on the frame so that the bowl can be moved downwardly to compensate for wear in the lining elements which accomplish actual crushing of material. The bowl, which is typically threaded to the frame or adjustment ring, must in turn be rigidly secured to the frame during use, since it is subjected to heavy loads and varying vibrations. The sheer bulk of this apparatus makes it impractical to form threads connecting the bowl and frame with a tolerance that would eliminate play or clearance between threads. It has therefore been conventional to provide some means for applying axial thrust to the bowl to lock the threads. Most such devices have been purely mechanical.

One response to this problem has been to provide a series of hydraulic cylinders extending upwardly above the bowl, connected so as to pull the bowl in an upward direction. The cylinders have been mounted in such a fashion that their hydraulic lines must be disconnected in order to rotate the bowl during adjustment of the threads.

The obvious difficulty in this arrangement and the resultant possibility of damage to the hydraulic lines is believed evident. In addition, the upwardly extending cylinders are extremely vulnerable to damage by the related equipment and by incoming material being fed to the crusher.

It is a first object of this invention to provide a hydraulic locking system for the bowl of a gyrating type crusher which is recessed beneath the structural members of the crusher, so that the hydraulic elements are protected from external damage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hydraulic locking system for the threaded members which uses stationary hydraulic cylinders, eliminating the necessity of disengaging the fluid lines during adjustment of the bowl.

Another object of this invention is to provide an extremely simple locking arrangement including a cylinder mounting structure permitting ready substitution of any particular cylinder.

Another object of this invention is to incorporate in the locking system a combined hydraulic and pneumatic pressure source to utilize conventionally available hydraulic and pneumatic compressors for maximum efliciency.

These and further objects will be evident from a study of the following disclosure, taken also with the accompanying drawings which illustrate basically the application of this invention to a typical crusher. It is to be understood that the details of the crusher are not of particular significance to an understanding of the present improvement and that the system described herein could be applied with equal effectiveness to any gyrating type crusher structure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation view taken through the center of a gyrating type crusher provided with the instant improvement in the locking arrangement;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the crusher, the left hand portion of the drawing being taken substantially along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken alongside one of the locking cylinders as seen along line 33 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic view illustrating the hydraulic and pneumatic system used to operate the apparatus; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevation View, partly in section, showing the physical structure of the cylinder apparatus interposed between the pneumatic and hydraulic systems shown in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the structure by which the bowl threads are locked is best understood from a study of FIGURES 1 through 3. Conventional crusher apparatus has been illustrated and will not be described herein in great detail. Basically, the crusher includes a supporting frame generally designated as 10, which yieldably carries an adjustment ring 12 having an outwardly directed flange 11. The adjustment ring 12 is typically held stationary against the frame by compression springs or by release cylinder devices 13 as illustrated, the ring 12 being biased downwardly by force applied through connecting bolts 14. The adjustment ring 12 is mounted on framework 10 to absorb shock forces which might be applied to it when foreign material passes between the crushing jaws.

The gyratory head 15 of the crusher i illustrated with an annular mantle 16 which cooperates with a bowl liner 18 on the stationary bowl 17 to perform the crushing operation as material passes between mantle 16 and liner 18.

The bowl 17 is adjustably mounted on adjustment ring 12 by threads 23 on the bowl and complementary threads 24- on the adjustment ring. Threads 23, 24 are designed particularly to absorb the forces applied to them during crushing operations. The apparatus with which this disclosure is concerned is provided so as to remove thread clearance in the threads 23, 24 during use of the apparatus.

A protective sleeve covers the exposed portions of the bowl threads 23 and is fastened to the upper end of bowl 17 by a series of circumferential bolts 21. A sealing ring 22 on the upper end of the adjustment ring 12 provides an annular bearing surface for the sleeve 20.

According to the instant structure, an annular ring 25, having a horizontal downwardly facing ledge 25a, is fastened about the sleeve 20. Ring 25 is fixed relative to sleeve 20 by a weld or other suitable connection,

To provide angular adjustment of bowl 17 relative to the adjustment ring 12 during use of the machine, a series of radial teeth 28 are fabricated about the periphery of ring 25. These teeth 28 are selectively engaged by pushing heads 34 on two rams 33 pivotally carried on vertical post 36 mounted on the adjustment ring 12. The rams 33 can be reversed on the posts 36 to counteract torque on bowl 17 and to permit them to rotate bowl 17 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

To provide a locking thrust upwardly on the bowl 17, there are provided a plurality of cylinder assemblies 30 located beneath the ring 25 and equally spaced about the periphery of bowl 17. Each cylinder assembly 30 is located with its base received within a complementary cup 32 fixed to the adjustment ring 12. The cups 32 are upwardly open and provide means for easily replacing any particular cylinder assembly when such replacement is necessary. A piston extension 31 on each cylinder assembly 30 bears upwardly against the ledge 25a and serves to provide an upward thrust to bowl 17.

To counteract the weight of the bowl 17, the cylinder assemblies 30 require a rather high operating hydraulic pressure. In actual practice, a hydraulic pressure of 6,000 psi. has been found to be necessary using 8 cylinders as illustrated in FIGURE 2. FIGURES 4 and 5 illustrate the control and pressure devices used to fulfil this need of a high pressure system. FIGURE 4 schematically illustrates a combined hydraulic and pneumatic system coupling the two to provide the high pressure required by cylinder assemblies 30.

As seen in FIGURE 4, a typical reservoir 37 and hydraulic pump 38 are connected to a four-way valve 40 which selectively diverts the pressurized fluid to a high pressure line 41 from conventional pressure line 42 used to operate rams 33 in unison through a second fourway valve 43. The exhaust connections for valves 40 and 43 are illustrated at 44 and 45 respectively.

In a typical arrangement, the hydraulic pressure in the lines leading to rams 33 will be 3,000 psi. In order to use this same system to provide 6,000 p.s.i. in the hydraulic line 41, additional pressure is applied through a conventional air supply line 46 operating at a lower pressure, such as 400 psi. This is applied through a valve 47 to an air cylinder designated at 48. The air cylinder 48 is mechanically connected to the piston of a cylinder 50 which is preferably identical to the cylinders 30 for ease of replacement and maintenance. The ratio between the diameters of air cylinder 48 and hydraulic cylinder 50 is such that the pressure from the air line 46 increases the pressure of the fluid within line 41 to the desired level (6,000 psi). The air within line 46 is used to maintain the fluid within line 41 at its desired level. Since the compressor used to supply air to line 46 normally operates continuously to supply air to other equipment, the economy of operation of this system exceeds that which would be required to directly connect the cylinders 30 to a hydraulic pump unit.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the air cylinder 48 includes a rather large movable piston 51 whose lower end receives a jack extension 52 mounted at the upper end of the piston rod 53 for the cylinder 50. The base of cylinder 50 rests within a cup 54 fixed to a plate 55 connected to the housing of cylinder 48 by rigid bolts 56.

As illustrated, line 41 includes a pressure switch '57 wired to the controls for the crusher to stop crusher operation when the pressure within line 41 falls below that level at which it can be effectively corrected by the air pressure within line 46. It is believed that the various controls, devices and gauges necessary in order to safely operate this system are obvious to one skilled in this field.

The apparatus described has several advantages over those previously proposed for similar purposes. The cylinders 30 are in a protected position along the side of the bowl 17, where they are not likely to be damaged by accessory equipment or by material being fed into the crusher. Since each cylinder 30 fits between a base cup 32 and the ring 25, any cylinder can be easily removed when pressure applied to it has been released. No locking devices or connecting pins are necessary. In addition, the cylinders 30 are provided with fluid from a hydraulic 4. system operating at a pressure less than that required for them, using a booster pneumatic system to provide the pressure multiplication. Since cylinders 30 are used alternately with rams 33, this provides great economy in the design of the hydraulic system shown in FIGURE 4.

In the usual operation of the machine, pressure will be applied to each of the cylinders 30, providing an equal upward thrust to the bowl 17 and relieving any clearance between the threads 23, 24. When adjustment of the bowl 17 is required, pressure is released from the cylinder assemblies 30 by operation of valve 40. Hydraulic pressure is then diverted to valve 43, which controls the in and out movement of the rams 33. The rams 33 act against the teeth 28 to turn the bowl 17 in the desired direction of rotation. When the bowl has been properly adjusted, pressure is again applied to the bowl 17 through cylinder assemblies 30 to lock the bowl 17 against movement relative to the adjustment ring 12. Since the cylinders 30 are carried on the adjustment ring 12, their use does not interfere with the normal operation of adjustment ring 12 in permitting upward movement of bowl 17 when necessary due to foreign objects in the crusher.

The apparatus disclosed can be either designed in a. crusher as built or can be readily adapted to existing crushers with little modification of the conventional equipment. Unlike units which have locking cylinders mounted on the bowl 17, this system does not require release of the hydraulic connections to the cylinders 30 during rotation of bowl 17. During rotational adjustment of the bowl 17, the cylinder assemblies 30 are simply not in contact with the ledge 25a, and therefore do not interfere with the rotational movement. Since cylinder assemblies 30 remain stationary and do not require resetting of the hydraulic lines, there is less likelihood of damage to the lines and cylinders during bowl adjustment.

Many modifications might be made in this structure without deviating from the basic concept of the device and system illustrated. Therefore, only the following claims are intended to set out the bounds of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a gyratory crusher having a main supporting framework, an adjustment ring releasably mounted on said framework, biasing means releasably connected between the framework and adjustment ring, a gyratory member mounted on said framework and a bowl threaded onto the adjustment ring defining a crushing cavity with the gyratory member;

an annular ring fixed to the upper exterior periphery of the bowl and having a downwardly facing ledge formed thereon;

means connecting said annular ring and bowl to limit elevational movement of said ring relative to said bowl;

a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluid cylinder assemblies located about the periphery of the adjustment ring operatively engaged beneath the said annular ring between the ledge of said annular ring and the adjustment ring;

a common source of pressurized fluid operatively connected to said cylinder assemblies to provide, in unison, an upward thrust against the annular ring;

and a fluid ram mounted on said adjustment ring for peripheral engagement with the annular ring to permit annular adjustment of the annular ring relative to the adjustment ring.

2. In a gyratory crusher having a main supporting framework, an adjustment ring releasably mounted on said framework, biasing means releasably connected between the framework and adjustment ring, a gyratory member mounted on said framework and a bowl threaded onto the adjustment ring defining a crushing cavity with the gyratory member;

an annular ring fixed to the upper exterior periphery of the bowl and having a downwardly facing ledge formed thereon;

means connecting said annular ring and bowl to limit elevational movement of said ring relative to said bowl;

a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluid cylinder assemblies located about the periphery of the adjustment ring operatively engaged beneath the said annular ring between the ledge of said annular ring and the adjustment ring;

a common source of pressurized fluid operatively connected to said cylinder assemblies to provide, in unison, an upward thrust against the annular ring, said common source of pressurized fluid comprising:

an intermittently operable pump and primary hydraulic fluid system maintained thereby at a pressure lower than that required for said cylinder assemblies;

a pneumatic pressure system;

and a secondary high pressure hydraulic system linking said cylinders in series with one another, said secondary hydraulic system being selectively supplied with fluid by a one-Way connection to said primary hydraulic system and being maintained at a constant increased hydraulic pressure by a coupled pneumatic and hydraulic cylinder assembly operatively connected between said pneumatic pressure system and the secondary hydraulic system.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,140,835 7/1964 Balmeretal 241-286 3,142,449 7/1964 Balmer 241-207x 3,204,883 9/1965 Rumpel 241286 ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner. 20 FRANK T. YOST, Assistant Examiner. 

